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Installation
date: 6/16/01
60,000 miles
came and went on my '95 XJ, so it was time to replace the spark
plugs and wires. As all good Jeepers do, I figured if I had
to replace the parts anyway, why not upgrade at the same time?
I started researching different ignition kits, spark plug wires,
and spark plugs. I was still trying to decide on a setup when
Ignition Solutions contacted me about their new ignition system
for the Jeep 4.0L engine. The
kit (a complete ignition system to compete with MSD and Jacobs)
sounded good based on other reviews I'd read (see links below),
and the timing was perfect, so I jumped on the opportunity for
the kit. About a week later a smallish white box appeared on
my doorstep, and it was time to get to work.
In addition
to the IS system, I installed a set of Autolite spark plugs
over-gapped to .040" and a new brass cap and rotor.
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The
IS kit includes new spark plug wires (Plasma wires), a new coil
(Plasma Arc), connectors, and a control unit (Plasma Blaster),
all specially designed for their specific application. The system
is designed to reduce resistance and increase spark voltage and
current, thereby giving you a hotter, more powerful and efficient
spark, which in turn results in a more powerful and efficient
engine. And as Tim "the Toolman" Taylor would say, we
all want more power right? ARGH, ARGH, ARGH!!
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The first
step is to swap out the factory coil for the IS Plasma Arc coil.
On an XJ, it's easier to just unbolt the bracket from the block,
then swap the coils and bolt the whole assembly back up.
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Next, you
have to cut off the coil connector and splice in the wiring harness
for the Plasma Blaster control pack. Here is the coil plug with
it's new male connectors clamped on.
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The harness
uses male/female connectors, so if you wanted to remove the system,
you simply unplug the Plasma Blaster harness and plug the coil
connector back in. Hook up 3 wires and you're done, with this
part anyway. I used some electrical tape and small black zipties
to secure all the wires and clean the installation up a bit.
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Now run the
new spark plug wires. The wires are labeled or anything, so you
kinda have to guess which one is supposed to go where. There lengths
are pretty close to the stock lengths, so you shouldn't have any
trouble getting everything hooked up. If you're changing the spark
plugs, I was advised to put some anti-seize compound on the threads
of the spark plugs, and not to tighten them any more than a 1/4
turn past snug. So far no problems from the plugs installed this
way.
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The last
thing I did was install the actual Plasma Blaster control unit.
Space under an XJ's hood is scarce, so I found a suitable place
on the firewall, next to the relays for my IPF
headlight wiring harness. I used a hammer and an awl to punch
two small holes, then used the supplied sheet metal screws to
secure the control unit. It was a bit of a stretch to get the
wiring harness all the way back to the firewall, but it turned
out to be just long enough to reach without pulling the wires
tight. Wranglers have it easy, they can just bolt the unit to
the fender.
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Initial impressions
were that power did increase a bit, overall the rig felt like it had
more "pep". No "huge" increases though. It seemed
a tad quicker off the line, and passing on the highway seems to be a
bit easier as well. Starting times didn't seem to change much, and actually
it seems to take longer to start up again if the engine's just been
running. It does seem to idle smoother however - the shuddering while
stopped in traffic or at a light has stopped - so I'm happy about that.
And, I'm happy to say it appears my gas mileage has increased, not a
whole lot - a little over a half mpg - but it was enough to bring my
mileage from the high 14's to the low 15's. The longer I run the system,
the better it seems to perform, so it appears there's a "break
in" period where the engine and computer need to adjust to the
new ignition system.
The kit retails
for about $400, definitely not cheap, but it's comparable with the prices
for the complete kits from MSD and Jacobs. So is it worth $400? Well,
that depends on how much you've got to spend and what you're looking
for. Power and mileage both appear to have gone up, though not by leaps
and bounds, and the idle did smooth out, which I'm very happy about.
If you're looking for a total ignition kit, I'd definitely check out
this kit, but if you're just looking for some minor ignition upgrades,
a good set of spark plugs and wires should do you just fine.
For more information,
contact:
Ignition
Solutions
7920
Silverton Ave.Suite E
San Diego, CA 92126
(Phone) 858-586-0080
(Toll-Free Phone) 888-806-8948
(FAX) 858-586-0028
http://www.ignitionsolutions.com/
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